THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 35 ©
Jeremiah, at God’s command, gathers the Rechabites together, and invites them to drink wine, v. 1, etc. But they refuse to do it, because of the prohibition of Jonadab their father, 6. By which example God convinces His disobedient and impenitent people, and foretells them their destruction, 12. But He promises His blessing to the Rechabites, 18.
THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of 1Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,
Go unto the 2house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the 3chambers, and 4give them wine to drink.
Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;
And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a 5man of God, 6which was by the chamber of the 7princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:
And I set 8before the sons of the house of the Rechabites 9pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.
But they said, We 10will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our 11father 12commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons 13for ever:
Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor 14have any: but all 15your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live 16many days 17in the land where ye be strangers.
Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;
Nor to build houses for us 18to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.
19But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we 20said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem 21for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the 22Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.
¶Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the 23men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not 24receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.
The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, 25are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but 26obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, 27rising earlya and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.
I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Returnb ye now every man from his evil 28way, and 29amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, 30and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.
Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have 31performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me:
Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the 32evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.
¶And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall 33not want a man to 34stand before me 35for ever.